Over 100 million Bluetooth headsets are sold a yet, and yet, these devices do not have a convenient way to carry them when not in use. Most people either carry in their ears, or risk loosing them. Furthermore, users are now compelled to carry a new device with them, and there has not been any successful attempt to either integrate Bluetooth headset functionality into existing devices, or to integrate more functionality into Bluetooth headsets.
More and more personal data is being stored on ever smaller and more mobile devices. The risk that sensitive data regarding identity, access codes, or business information could be compromised if one of these devices is misplaced increases with the amount of information that can be stored on them and their increasingly pervasive use. Requiring the entry of security codes or keys is a partial solution, but the efficacy of this solution decreases to the extent that the data onboard the device can be used if the mobile device lands in the wrong hands.
Portable electronic devices such as cellular telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless email devices, instant messaging devices, pagers, portable compact disk (CD) players, portable MP3 players, and others are often forgotten, lost, or stolen (a “PED” includes any portable device that can be used for communication, performing intellectual and/or physical work, and/or entertainment).
A method for protecting data onboard a personal electronic device (PED) is disclosed in US patent application 0060199538, titled: Automatic data encryption and access control based on BLUETOOTH device proximity which decrypts data on contact with a paired BLUETOOTH device, and encrypts the data on loss of contact. This method is inefficient, can cause data corruption, and more importantly, it does not provide high level security. The Bluetooth ID of paired Bluetooth device can be obtained from the operating system, and can be used to fake the BLUETOOTH device.
It is noted that PED can refer to a computer, a mobile phone, a handheld device, an information system, a vehicle electronic computer, or any electronic system.
US Patent application publication 20050280546 discloses two mobile transceivers that are linked through a BLUETOOTH link. The BLUETOOTH enabled RF link between the first and second mobile transceiver units forms a monitoring piconet. The second mobile transceiver unit provides an alarm indication when the first mobile transceiver unit moves beyond a distance of approximately ten meters from the second mobile transceiver unit. The second device repeatedly pages the first device, and waits for a response. If a response is not received, an alarm is issued. This method has been tested and found to be unreliable due to high energy consumption and due to the human body blocking Bluetooth signals.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,885,848 is directed to an apparatus for preventing the loss of a portable telephone that uses BLUETOOTH communication protocol. The signal strength is periodically monitored and an alarm issued to the headphone when the signal is below a threshold. BLUETOOTH protocol provides for a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) value or the Link Quality value to be determined at any time. If the value received is below a threshold, an alarm is issued to the headphone. This system may reduce the chance that a portable telephone is lost or stolen, but if the mobile phone falls in the wrong hands, this system does not prevent the data from being accessed.
Thus, a need exists for a method and apparatus for a Bluetooth assistant that can be carried conveniently, that provides Bluetooth headset functionality, and that can provides further functions such as proximity alarm for personal electronic device and unlocking of protected areas.